TOEFL

About the TOEFL iBT Test

The TOEFL iBT® test, is an important part of your journey to study in an English-speaking country. In addition to the test, the ETS TOEFL Program provides materials and guides to help you prepare for the test and improve your English-language proficiency.

What is the TOEFL iBT Test?

The TOEFL iBT test processess your ability to use and understand English at the university level. At the same time,it evaluates how well you combine your skilss of listening, reading, speaking and writing to perform academic tasks.

There are two setup for the TOEFL® test. The setup you take depends on the location of your test center. Most of the students appearing on test take the TOEFL iBT test. Test centers which do not have Internet access offer the Paper-based Test (PBT).

Who takes the TOEFL Test?

More than 27 million people worldwide have taken the TOEFL test to determine their English-language skills.The average English skill level ranges between Intermediate and Advanced. TOEFL scores are accepted by more than 8,500 colleges, agencies and other institutions in over 130 countries.

TOEFL is undertaken by the clients/students who plan for the following:

To study at a higher education institution

English-language learning program admissions and exit.

Certification candidates and scholarship.

English-language learners who want to track their progress.

Students and workers applying for visas.

Where and when can I take the TOEFL iBT Test?

The TOEFL test has more test dates (more than 50 per year) and locations (4,500 test centers in 165 countries) than other English-language test worldwide. You can retake the test as many times as you desire.

What are the contents of the Test?

The TOEFL iBT® test is given in English and administered via the internet. There are four segments (listening, reading, speaking and writing) which carries a total of about four and a half hours to complete.

Students are asked to perform tasks that combine more than one skill during the test, such as:

Reading, listening and then speaking in response to a question.

Listening and then speaking in response to a question.

Reading, listening and then writing in response to a question.

TOEFL iBT Sections

Section

Time Limit

Questions

Tasks

Reading

60–80 minutes

36–56 questions

Read 3 or 4 passages from academic texts and answer questions.

Listening

60–90 minutes

34–51 questions

Listen to lectures, classroom discussions and conversations, then answer questions.

Break

10 minutes

—

—

Speaking

20 minutes

6 tasks

Express an opinion on a familiar topic; speak based on reading and listening tasks.

Writing

50 minutes

2 tasks

Write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks; support an opinion in writing.

The test you give may include extra questions in the Reading or Listening segment which does not count towards your score. These are either questions that enable ETS to make test scores comparable across administrations or new questions which help ETS determine how such questions function,under actual testing terms.

How is the Test scored?

The scores are based on your performance on the questions in the test. You must answer at least one question each in the Reading and Listening segments, write at least one essay, and complete at least one Speaking task to receive an official score. For the TOEFL iBT® test, administered via the Internet, you will receive four scaled section scores and a total score:

Reading Section (Score of: 0–30)

Listening Section (Score of: 0–30)

Speaking Section (Score of: 0–30)

Writing Section (Score of: 0–30)

Total Score (0–120)

In addition to your scores, your official score record also include performance feedback which is a reflection of your performance level and a description of the kinds of tasks that test takers within the reported score range can perform typically.

There is no passing or failing TOEFL® score; individual higher education institutions and agencies set their own score requirements. TOEFL scores are valid for two years after the test date and there is no limit to the number of times you can take the test.